Week 1 – Lent Series 2023
Lent, Stories | Published: February 23, 2023 | Updated: March 5, 2025
“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)
Jesus died on the cross to remove barriers to our being in community with him and with one another.
Today is the first day of Lent; a time of reflection during the forty days leading to Easter Sunday. During this Lent season we will be reflecting on the theme of Cross-Shaped Communities. We are remembering that Jesus desires to live in community with us. That alone is amazing. Furthermore, Jesus was willing to go to astonishing lengths for this to happen.
Sin created a barrier between people and God … and between people. Sin hindered our ability to enjoy relationship with him and with each other in fullness and intimacy.
Jesus indeed came to take away the sin of the world. He suffered unimaginably and died on the cross. As Jesus rose again, overcoming sin, he removed the barrier that prevented us from fully enjoying community with him and one another.
A cross-shaped community is moved to follow Jesus, his love and his sacrifice. Such a community is inclusive of all people. It removes barriers to ensure that everyone is an integral member.
At CBM Australia, we often talk about the barriers that people with disabilities face to fully participating in their communities. We follow Jesus’ example as we work to remove those barriers. In doing so we are supporting the building of cross-shaped communities. #CrossShapedCommunities
We also equip others to build cross-shaped communities. There are many resources on our Luke14 website that support people to build disability-inclusive communities – cross-shaped communities.
Further reflections around cross-shaped communities will be posted on our Facebook and Instagram pages.
God bless you during this Lent season.
https://www.cbm.org.au/stories/week-1-lent-series-2023
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